Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this new legislation, the European Union (Accession of the Republic of Croatia) (Access to the Labour Market) Bill 2013. I warmly welcome the debate as, once again, it gives us all an opportunity to discuss Croatia, the European Union in general and other countries near Europe. The legislation comes at a very important time, particularly with the economic crisis and, as we have seen in recent days, some of the banking scandals that have happened in Ireland and other countries.

It is important when debating the accession of Croatia and the opportunity for its workers and people to come here that we broaden the debate and link it to the European Union and what kind of European Union and economic co-operation people want. Do they want a Europe comprising independent states or do they want closer integration? These issues are very important but they have been pushed under the carpet many times by many people, not only in this country but also across Europe. There is a huge disconnect between many citizens in Europe and the leadership of the European Union. Today's debate is important because it links into the broader aspects.

On examining the details of the legislation one can see that it deals with access to the Irish labour market by Croatian nationals following Croatia's accession to the European Union in July 2013. It also amends the Employment Permits Act 2003 in order that Croatians will not need work permits to work here. It also clarifies the rights of family members of Croatian nationals. Essentially, that is what the legislation is about.

I welcome and support the legislation. It is important that every Member examines every piece of legislation. We, in the Independent Group, will always adopt an independent view. If something is positive for people, the citizens of Europe or this country or for the rights of the citizens of Croatia, then it will have my 100% support. We can examine the nuts and bolts of the legislation later.

During today's debate we must also debate racism in society. We need to keep a close eye on racism because it is rampant across the European Union. Many people are very concerned about the emergence of racism again. It does exist but is under the radar. Many people seem to think it is not on the political scale in this country. However, many politicians will know from dealing with people one to one that racism is an issue for a minority in the State who have a lot of prejudice. We, as a society, must be vigilant and ensure that parties or politicians who represent that view are challenged. We know from history, from what happened during the World Wars and in South Africa, that racism issues can easily be on the agenda and have led to a lot of death and destruction. We must be vigilant.

There have been many cases of racism in this country. In the past 24 hours, the Stephen Lawrence case in London has emerged again as a race and racism issue. The Lawrence family has experienced major prejudice and there was gross incompetence on the part of the police force which dealt with the case. These types of situations happen in Ireland but people do not seem to think that they do. They happen regularly but many of the instances go unreported and it is only the ones resulting in fatalities that one reads about in the newspaper. We need to be vigilant and it is essential to state that during today's debate on Croatian accession to the EU.

As for the details of this legislation, the Republic of Croatia will become the 28th member state of the European Union when it joins on 1 July 2013. While Croatian nationals will then have the right of free movement within the European Union, member states are permitted to apply national measures regulating Croatian nationals' access to the labour markets and this can be done initially for a period of up to five years. Measures regulating or restricting access to the labour markets are put in place for Romanians and Bulgarians by many European Union member states. However, Ireland has chosen not to restrict access to the Irish labour market by Croatians. This is based on a belief held by many in the Government and the establishment in general that Croatians are unlikely to come to Ireland in such numbers that would distort the labour market. This means that restrictions similar to those placed on Bulgarians and Romanians will not apply to Croatians. The 2011 census showed that only 846 Croatians were living in Ireland and employment permit data show that only 12 employment permits were issued for Croatian nationals in 2012. Other countries, such as Germany, Austria and Britain are choosing to apply transitional access measures. This is what is going on in the current climate and Members should note the number of people who are coming here, in that 846 Croatians live in Ireland at present.

It is important to note that Ireland has a responsibility as a host nation to ensure their rights are protected as citizens both of this State and of broader European society. This leads on to the emigration issue because Ireland has its own problems with many people leaving because of the economic crisis and the great hardship experienced by many families. However, one issue that has never been mentioned in the context of discussions on emigration concerns the hundreds of millions of euro that are being spent to train teachers, nurses, professionals and physiotherapists. I have met many such people in recent weeks and reiterate that millions are being spent on their training but they are leaving for Australia, the Middle East or Europe. This is an issue in the context of the expenditure of public money, as this suddenly becomes money down the drain because such people are being forced to emigrate as a result of the economic crisis. This is an important point because while I have no problems about people who wish to emigrate and who seek adventure in their lives - good luck to them and I always encourage young people to do this if they get an opportunity, that is, those who have a choice - I refer to those who were leaving out of economic necessity. It is very sad when young and brilliant nurses or teachers who wish to work in their own country but who cannot get a job must go to Australia, New Zealand or Canada to get something. In addition, however, from an economic point of view hundreds of millions of euro have been spent training such people to work in another economy. Equally, when one considers this issue in the context of the broader European Union, it is important to note the inflow of immigrants who are professionally trained from other countries, particularly poorer countries, into Ireland. They are coming to Ireland because of economic necessity for them as well. My point is the European Union and its leadership must get its act together. Today, Members are discussing Croatia and defending people's rights as citizens but it is important to make the point that the European Union also must get its act together in respect of protecting and defending the rights of its citizens.

In the context of the debate on Croatia's accession, the current view is that it is highly unlikely that significant numbers of Croatians wish to emigrate to Ireland. The size of Croatia's labour force is relatively small, with a total labour force of 1.78 million people, of whom approximately 350,000 are within the 25 to 34 age group. Experience suggests that opening access to the Irish labour market may not have a significant impact on the State's services, especially when one sees figures such as the 846 people who are currently resident here. Allowing a person to be self-employed but not to be an employee can increase the chances of that person falling outside the tax net and this is a matter about which one must be vigilant. In addition, Ireland's current economic status means it is not a massive factor for people coming from other countries because the number of job vacancies is low, with the exception of areas experiencing shortfalls of skills. As for the skills issue, with which the Minister of State is dealing, Ireland has a major problem with regard to information technology skills and additional migrants to such sectors also would be very welcome.

International studies also show that migration is heavily influenced by existing migrant populations and established social networks in the destination country. EUROSTAT estimates that approximately 350,000 Croatian nationals currently reside within the extant European Union, with Germany, Austria and Italy accounting for 91% of such people. In addition, as I noted, 846 Croatian nationals are resident in Ireland. Therefore, there is not a sufficient population of Croatians in Ireland at present to create an attracting factor. A number of polls show the numbers of Croatians with firm intentions of leaving Croatia are relatively low. I understand that 0.1% of the adult population, or 4,000 people, have considered moving permanently from Croatia in the following 12 months and Ireland did not really appear on their listed destinations. This corresponds with the employment performance data, which indicate that only 12 employment permits were issued in 2012 in respect of Croatian nationals. Consequently, this pertains to a relatively small group of people and that is an important point when considering this issue.

Section 2(2) of the Bill addresses of the rights of family members of Croatian nationals. Generally, when the national of a European Union member state requires a permit to work in another European Union member state, the family of that national are not then required to have work permits before they can work legally.

Before I continue, could the Ceann Comhairle consider my sharing five minutes at the end with Deputy Wallace?

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